The present invention relates initially to a method of obtaining the peak value of a signal.
What is generally of essential interest when pulsed or oscillating signals are measured is the signal shape itself, which can be employed to deduce parameters like amplitude, attenuation, period, harmonics, etc. which supply more accurate information as to the physical phenomenon that provokes the signal and even indicate its source.
In certain special cases, however, the shape of the signal can be ignored in favor of its peak value. This is true for example when measuring the reaction exerted by the soil against a drilling bit in order to determine the characteristics of soil hardness during drilling.